Talent on the rise

All of a sudden, Tom Bischof goes from zero to one-hundred in Berlin's Olympiastadion. As soon as he sees team manager Max Vollmar lift up the board with his name on it to indicate that he should get ready, the youngster sprints away from his fellow substitutes to the technical area in what must be record time. The yellow bib and the warm-up top are quickly swapped for the salmon-coloured jersey with the number 39 on the back. And there he goes. "As soon as I stepped onto the pitch, a dream came true for me,'' says the midfielder as he looks back on his Bundesliga debut. His substitute appearance at the age of 16 years and 264 days made him the third-youngest Bundesliga player of all-time, and the youngest to ever represent Hoffenheim in Germany's top tier. 

Tom Bischof stands out as a true record-breaker in the current TSG Hoffenheim first-team squad. On the one hand, the 16-year-old is the youngest member of coach Sebastian Hoeness's group of player. On the other, only Dennis Geiger has been at the club for longer; Bischof first joined TSG back in 2011. His first appearance for Hoffenheim came as a six-year-old, when he represented the club's child prospects team while also playing for local club TSV Amorbach. In 2015, he officially joined the TSG youth set-up. On 19 March 2022, the journey was complete and the dream came true: Bischof became a Bundesliga player. "Despite the defeat to Hertha, it was a really special moment, especially because I've been connected with the club for so long,'' said Bischof.

''I want to establish myself in the Bundesliga''

His Bundesliga debut should however merely be the first step in what promises to be a glittering career. Bischof is ambitious and has big plans for his future: ''It's a nice touch being the youngest ever TSG player. But more important is what comes next. I want to establish myself in the Bundesliga and play a lot more games for Hoffenheim.'' Prior to making his first-team debut, he had already signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until the summer of 2025. Several big clubs had shown interest in the Amorbach native. "Of course you get a sense of all that going on. That's why I'm all the happier that it's now been resolved. I feel really happy at the club and in the team. That played a big role. Now I'm just glad that I can completely focus on sport and don't have any distractions to worry about.''

In the summer of 2021, just a few days after his 16th birthday, the young talent trained with the first team for the first time. A few weeks later, Bischof joined them at training camp in Rottach-Egern. It was at Lake Tegernsee that he first experienced what it's like to be the youngest in a team. Time and again, the midfielder had to carry training equipment and was called out by the group leaders when he forgot to do so. But he doesn't feel any kind of resentment. "When a seasoned player like Kevin Vogt or Benjamin Hübner tells you to do something, you listen. It's normal that as a younger player you have to do the dirty work sometimes," says Bischof.

Bischof is always looking to enter into conversation with the experienced players and pick up tips. "I had to learn that I must know what I want to do next before the ball is even at my feet. At this level, you really only have two touches at most in the centre of midfield, otherwise the ball is gone . The pace is not comparable to youth games. Physically, I certainly still have disadvantages, but Sebastian Rudy, for example, has made it clear to me that I don't even have to deal with challenges if I know what I want to do beforehand," says Bischof.

Driving lessons after training

The young talent has developed in a big way since arriving in the first-team squad, both on the training pitch and on a personal level. Bischof comes across more mature than his age would suggest. He himself says: "The year with the senior squad has been a real learning experience and has strengthened my character. I have become more mature.'' But according to German law, he is not yet an adult. Bischof is currently learning to drive. He wants to be ready to obtain his driving licence when he turns 17 on 28 June. At the moment, he is still dependent on team colleagues or his parents for lifts. The midfielder gets on especially well with Georginio Rutter and spends a lot of time with the Frenchman. His best friends, however, are still those from his school days, when he was not yet under contract with a Bundesliga club. "After my debut, I got a lot of messages, but I was most happy about the ones from my four best friends. We've known each other forever. That's when I knew that the congratulations really came from the bottom of the heart. Because of my training, we don't see each other as often as we used to, but when we meet, everything is normal. Fortunately, football is not always the main topic of conversation.''

The left-footer has not forgotten where he comes from. Tom Bischof thinks it's important that in his career as a professional footballer, he remains the same person as before. Contact with friends, but also with family is important to him. He visits his grandparents at least once a week and enjoys spending time with his relatives. That's why it meant so much for the U17 Germany international to have his parents be there to experience his debut in Berlin's Olympiastadion. "They both had tears in their eyes after the game. It makes you even happier when you see how much it means to the family.''

A big interest in languages

His father had a big part to play in supporting him through the Coronavirus pandemic. At the peak of lockdown, when all training was cancelled for the youth teams, the players had to keep themselves fit. He and his father mowed an empty lawn in his hometown of Amorbach, placed a goal on it and erected a fence behind it. All you need for a homemade training pitch, which at the very least allowed the youngster to work on his shooting during the pandemic. The whole endeavour demonstrates the teenager's work ethic. He has no time for parties, and has concentrated almost exclusively on football from a young age; that said, Bischof has recently discovered a new passion. Since completing secondary school, Bischof has been attending a language school, where he learns English, Spanish and French. Instead of sitting around at home after training, he wants to use his spare time to learn. "For both me and my parents, it was important that I pursue something else after school and don't just play football. After all, so much can happen in a professional career. The lessons at language school are adjusted to fit around my training schedule. That's obviously a huge bonus. I can really see myself keeping it up after my 18th birthday. I find learning languages a lot of fun, and I have a particular interest in Spanish.''

And so the midfielder currently switches his time between language school, the Bundesliga and the U19s. He is currently the youngest player in the U19 squad, in which he has played most of the time this season. He is one of the team's top performers and helped the team win the BFV Cup in mid-April. "I want to lead the way. Many of my former coaches have told me that they would give me the captain's armband, but I don't need it because I communicate a lot on the pitch anyway," Bischof says with confidence. At only 16 years of age, he has a clear plan. His Bundesliga debut is just the beginning, he still has a lot he wants to achieve with TSG Hoffenheim. And anyone who looks at the 16-year-old's career so far knows one thing: not much can stop Tom Bischof.